Interpretive Handbook

Test
8205 :
Mycobacterial Culture

Mycobacteria species are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis and it kills nearly 2 million people in the world each year. Nontuberculous mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium avium complex and Mycobacterium abscessus cause a variety of infections (eg, respiratory, skin, and soft tissue) and are important to detect and correctly identify in order to aid in clinical decision making. There are more than 150 recognized species of mycobacteria and identification of these organisms to the species level is required to help guide appropriate therapy. Although there are direct detection methods available for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, growth of the organism on culture media is still necessary to allow for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. At this time, direct molecular detection methods are lacking for the nontuberculous mycobacteria and growth in culture is critical for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Nocardia species and other aerobic actinomycetes (eg, Tsukamurella species, Gordonia species, Rhodococcus species) are also important causes of disease and isolation on culture media is important to facilitate identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Nocardia and the other aerobic actinomycetes grow well on mycobacterial medium and, therefore, ordering a mycobacterial culture is recommended when infection with this group of organisms is suspected.

Recovery of mycobacteria in the BBL MGIT tube is dependent on the number of organisms present in the specimen, specimen collection methods, methods of processing, and patient factors such as presence of symptoms prior to treatment.

The use of BBL MGIT PANTA antibiotic mixture, although necessary for all nonsterile specimens, may have inhibitory effects on some mycobacteria.